


The Burnish

by RoseWilder



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: Anal Sex, Foursome - M/M/M/M, M/M, Male Lactation, Mpreg, Multi, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Praise Kink, Rimming, Slow Build, Threesome - M/M/M, Worldbuilding, existence of underage sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:00:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24574204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoseWilder/pseuds/RoseWilder
Summary: Lio, and a group of others, are forced to flee their home as an Alpha decides to overthrow the head Omega. Now Lio and and his people are forced to settle down somewhere else and star anew, with Lio as their head Omega. He will have to lead his people, and find Alphas to stand by his side as his mates.
Relationships: Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos, Lio Fotia/Gueira, Lio Fotia/Gueira/Meis, Lio Fotia/Gueira/Meis/Galo Thymos, Lio Fotia/Meis
Comments: 3
Kudos: 66





	1. Blue Moon - The Escape

**Author's Note:**

> First Promare fanfic, so go easy on me.

The door slammed open, causing Lio to jump. He had been about to get ready for bed when the intrusion had happened. Quickly he had spun around and been about to reach for his sword when he saw who it was.

“Victor?”

The bodyguard looked around for a moment, then over his shoulder. He was breathing hard, so he must have been running.

“It has happened.”

Lio’s eyes widened. He had hoped it would not come to this, but looks like his suspicions had been right. Without a moment of hesitation he quickly grabbed his sword, bow, and a bag he had prepared beforehand filled with whatever he would need.

“What of my siblings?” Lio asked as they made their way out of the castle.

“I don’t know. I believe the Omegas had made it out, while the Alphas are trying to fight Kray.”

Lio grit his teeth. He wanted to help, but he knew that wasn’t a part of the plan. Though he was the strongest of his siblings, the strongest of the Omega, they did not want him fighting. They had wanted him to get as many people as he could and get out. Get as far away from Kray as possible, since they all knew that Kray would want him.

They were outside of the castle and for a second Lio turned to look up. It looked peaceful, like nothing bad was happening.

“Your horse is being brought to the west gate,” Victor said.

“Good. Go and inform those who had agreed to come with us.”

Victor nodded, and the two split up. Something like this happening was almost unheard of, but it had happened. It did happen, and it always ended in tragedy for the whole city.

Each village was lead by a head Omega, and by this Omega’s side there would be several Alphas. This both for protection and breeding. Usually this worked out perfectly fine, but sometimes an Omega would pick out an Alpha to be with them that should not be in that position. That had happened now. Lio’s mother had only a month earlier decided to take in a fourth Alpha, and Lio had immediately picked up that something wasn’t right about his scent. Through the lemon scent Lio had picked up on something filthy. Something had not been right, so he had begun to work out a plan, in case the worst that could happen did indeed happen.

He ran down the street, knowing exactly whose doors to knock on. They didn’t need him to stop and talk, they knew what was happening, so that allowed him to continue on to the next door. He knew he didn’t have much time, so he had to be as quick as he could. Some curious people looked out of their buildings, questioning why one of the Head Omega’s children was in such a hurry. He wished he could have taken all of them with him, but he couldn’t. At the same time he expected some of his siblings to be doing the same in other areas of the city. However, not every Omega was fit to lead, so the ones of his siblings who did not have what it took would follow one of the stronger siblings out of here.

His lungs felt like they were on fire as he refused to slow down. At this point he knew he wouldn't be able to speak even if he tried. His legs ached as he pushed his muscles to their limit.

Finally he had managed to get to everyone who was a part of his plan, and with that he could head to the gate. There was thankfully still time, so that allowed him to take a moment to just breathe and regain some energy. Once he felt like he could breathe somewhat normally he continued to move, now at a slow jog.

Once again he looked towards the castle. It still looked peaceful, like it was asleep. He could only imagine the chaos that was taking place on the inside. His Alpha siblings fighting to hold back Kray… how many of them would survive? He hoped they managed to get away after the fight, leave, escape, go somewhere else, find another city. They were risking their lives to save their Omega siblings, preventing them from becoming a part of Kray’s harem.

That’s usually what happened. Once the Alpha was in control they would hoard Omegas to impregnate. Omegas in the whole city would lose their rights, lose their status as an equal to the Alphas. It was a horrible fate. No one wanted to be used like that, to be someone’s toy to have their way with as they pleased. So he suspected that the moment the news hit, every young Omega would wish to leave, and many of them would, especially the ones who did not have a mate.

Did the opposite ever happen when Omegas were in charge? Maybe. He had never heard of a city where Alphas were being used like that.

He reached the gate. The guards there gave him a nod. They were going to join with them in their escape.

“How many are here?” Lio asked.

“46 thus far.”

Lio nodded. “Supplies?”

“Four wagons thus far, we’re waiting for another one.”

“Good.”

They could only take what was necessary for them, which was food and water for the most part. He looked out through the gate and could see the group of people there getting ready for the long trip across the desert they had considered home up until now. Lio took a deep breath. He would have to lead them.

Footsteps. He turned and saw more people join them. They were at 50 now.

“We can’t wait much longer. Kray’s people will start to roam the streets,” one of the guards commented.

“I know,” Lio hissed.

The wagon arrived, with two people in it, and following it came a group of four. That should be all of them. 56 people. He watched the last people pass the gates, then he too walked out of there. Everyone turned to look at him, they were counting on him to lead them somewhere safe. These were his people now.

“Where are we going?” one woman asked as Lio stepped closer to them.

“North,” Lio replied. “We will circle around this mountain, and go north.” 

The others looked at one another. This was not going to be easy, and Lio knew he had to be strong, for all of them, he could not show doubt or weakness. 16 of age, and he now had his own people to care for.

“Children can stay in the wagons,” he continued as he walked forward. “And so can those who are pregnant.” He could see one Omega who was heavy with child, but he could also smell that there was at least another one with child among them.

He watched the adults help the children into the carts, and two adult Omegas climbed in too. Others got onto their horses, and Lio allowed one of the others use his horse. Now, the journey started.


	2. Blue Moon - Empty Sands

They had been wandering for over a week now. The first day Lio had worried they would be followed, that someone from their previous home would come to take them back. However, no one had done so. No one was behind them, and by now they should be well out of reach, or so he hoped, and they should be hard to track too as winds had caused their tracks to fade away.

Each night they had taken turn standing guard to make sure everything was safe, and they had been careful with fires. For the most part they had been eating fruits or dried meats. Food was however not Lio’s biggest worry, his main fear was them running out of water. There was none out here, so he had been careful with how much he had been drinking, and reminded the rest to be careful too.

As days past some had started to worry that this had been a mistake. The days were warm and the nights biting cold, and for the whole week they had seen nothing but sand. Those who had not ventured outside of their city before were the first to start to get fearful. Were they going to run out of supplies and die out here?

Despite the fear, and the worry, Lio stayed strong. He reassured them, he did not for even a second show any sign of hesitation or doubt in this decision to venture out into the vast emptiness. His strength kept the panic from becoming severe, and stayed as a slight worry. He understood why, who wouldn’t be fearful in this situation? There were children and pregnant omegas in the group, and they had limited supplies.

“How much water do we have left?” Lio asked.

“Enough for maybe a day,” Victor replied. “For how much longer do you think we can keep this up?”

“Until we have grass under our feet.”

“Do you really think we have enough water to reach that?”

Lio sent him a stern look. “Turning back is not an option, and even if it was an option, what would we be returning to?”

Victor didn’t reply, instead he looked away, and then moved to walk alongside someone else. It was a bad sign when Victor was starting to doubt too.

Day faded into night, and Lio was getting ready to stand guard, together with four others who were all spread out in a circle around the group. He had taken a seat on a small blanket, and by his side was a spyglass. A very rare item to see in this world. Only a few knew how to turn sand into glass, and even fewer knew how to turn the glass into lenses that would allow you to see far.

He turned his head as he sensed someone walk up to him. It was the medicine man, Hannes. Lio considered himself lucky that the man had decided he wanted to join their escape. Not only was he vital in case someone got injured or ill, but he was a calming force, and Lio had seen him soothe some of the worried members of their group.

“How are you doing?” Hannes asked.

“I’m fine,” Lio said and offered him a smile.

“Have you ever been this far away from the city before?”

“No,” Lio admitted.

“So you have no idea what is ahead of us?”

Lio looked over at him for a moment. No, the man didn’t look to doubt him, he was just curious. Hannes believed in him, and Lio was thankful for that.

“I have not physically been this far away from the city, but I have studied the maps, I know where we are going,” he replied, then let out a low chuckle. “But it’s a bit hard to tell exactly how far we have walked when we’re surrounded by sand, but I don’t think we have much left… I can feel it.”

Hannes nodded, and then reached out to place a hand on Lio’s shoulder.

“We will get there.”

Lio’s smile widened a bit. “I’m certain of it.”

Hannes nodded and then got to his feet with a groan. He wasn’t a young man anymore, neither was his partner, who was a midwife. They were both so incredibly important to the group, and Lio couldn’t be more thankful for them.

He watched as Hannes went back to the others to get some rest. Lio had insisted that he did not stand guard, and thankfully his children had done so too, and managed to convince him to rest the whole night.

After a while there was a shift change, and Lio went to the group to rest. Curled up on a mat, with a woolen blanket draped over his body. He could feel someone move next to him, getting closer to him, but he didn’t care to look. Whoever it was was probably just seeking warmth, after all, it was freezing cold out here.

Morning came, and they got ready to continue on. Lio was leading the way, and he had placed some of the strongest Alphas at the back so that they could make sure that everyone was following along. This even though the children, pregnant, and oldest of the group were either inside the wagons or on horseback. Now that they had more space inside the wagon as they were running out of supplies, there was space for more people.

The sun wasn’t as warm today. In fact, the days had been getting a bit colder lately, and the nights hadn’t been as cold compared to the first night. They were getting closer to the end of this. He pulled out his spyglass, and what he saw almost made him stop in his track. Instead he turned towards the rest with a wide smile on his lips.

“I can see green!”

There were trees ahead of them. Not a forest exactly, but there were changes in the climate. They were getting close.

He watched as the group cheered and immediately it looked as though worries were fading away, and everyone had more energy than before. So they kept going, though Lio did not try to move them at a faster pace. They could not exhaust their already tired horses, and they needed to do whatever to reserve their own energy. Even if they were getting towards greener areas, their travels were far from over.

They walked for hours before they got to the first trees. There they stopped and decided to take a short break. Those who had never seen a tree before was very fascinated by them. Lio himself had seen plenty of them, they had a garden full of it back at the castle, so this was nothing new to him, but it was funny to watch the children stare in awe at it.

Some food, and a bit of water and they continued on.

Sand turned to earth, but there wasn’t much grass yet, only some brown or yellow patches here and there, and they stopped to let the horses eat some of it. They were running low on food for the animals too.

This night they slept on earth. It was more uncomfortable than sad to sleep on, but they would soon arrive somewhere that contained grass. He was looking forward to that, and he was sure the others were too.

The next day they continued on. They were slowly walking around the mountains now, and Lio finally knew exactly where they were. To the east there would be an ocean, and to their west was the mountain and the desert.

More and more grass was appearing, and it was turning greener and greener by the hour. As the sun was setting they reached a forest. Here they paused for a moment, simply taking in what was ahead of them. Even to Lio this looked surreal.

“I don’t think our waggons can get through there. There’s too many trees,” one person said.

“There’s a path nearby,” Lio replied and used his spyglass to look left, and then right.

“How do you know that?” someone else asked.

“Because people from the south go through this forest to get to the north to trade,” he replied. “This way.” It looked like there was something to their left.

He was correct. They came across a dirt path that lead into the forest, and it would allow for horses and wagons. However, it was getting late, and Lio knew that going in there now might be dangerous. So they would wait until morning.

They were getting close to their destination now. So close.


	3. Green Moon - Home

They were moving into the forest now. The children eagerly running around, touching and studying everything, taking in this new world that was before them. Their parents keeping an eye on them, making sure they didn’t get hurt or got lost.

“I’ve missed the forest,” one Alpha commented.

“Is that why you decided to join?” Lio asked. He knew several of the people in the group weren’t born in the city.

“Partly. I would have stayed had the Alpha not decided to take over, but this was the perfect excuse to get out of there.”

Lio nodded. Having people who were familiar with surroundings like these were certainly going to be of great help. He was lucky to have such a diverse group with him, and hopefully this was going to make it a lot easier for them to establish themselves somewhere new. It would have been expected of him to settle down among the sands somewhere since that’s what he knew, but he wasn’t going to be that predictable.

They continued forward, some of the people in the group heading out to hunt, and even returning with game. Rabbit. It was perfect since they hadn’t had fresh meat since they left the city. Along the road they also came across a river. Here they took a break.

“For how much longer do you think we have left?” It was another Alpha.

“Not much longer, don’t worry. Your partner will not have to give birth while we’re travelling,” Lio reassured the Alpha.

He looked towards the Omega who was with the Alpha, she was heavy with child, but there would still be a few months before she gave birth, and Lio knew of one more Omega who was pregnant, but said Omega had just started to show. Now, he had heard whispers that another couple had formed on the road, so it would only be a matter of time before something happened there too.

They continued forward until they got to a clearing. It had turned dark now, so it was time to rest for the night. The next day they continued, now they were moving through an open field, and on this day Lio spotted a city in the distance. It was the first they had seen thus far. Now the question was, were they friendly or not?

As they made their way closer they were met by a scout sent from the city to meet them. That was at least a better sign than a soldier.

“Who are you?” The scout asked.

“My name is Lio, and this is my people, we are simply passing through as we search for a place to settle,” Lio replied.

The scout looked over the group, it looked like he was thinking this over. “Our Head Omega would like to meet you.”

“Is that so?” Was this a trap, or were they actually friendly? Lio bit down on the inside of his cheek as he thought about the possible outcomes of this. He wanted to believe that the head of the city in front of them wished them no harm. Lio turned to look at his people, then he turned towards the scout. “I will come with you,” he decided.

“Lio,” Victor hissed, his eyes wide in shock.

“If I do not return by the end of the day, know that something has happened,” Lio added and got onto his horse.

“Be careful,” one Omega said.

“I will,” Lio replied with a smile, and then he followed the scout to the city.

It was closer than it looked, so it didn’t take them too long to get there. The first thing he noted was that there were no gates, there was no wall around the city, so they just trotted right onto the mud covered main street. Why didn’t they cover the main street in stone? He looked around, the place didn’t appear rich, and couldn’t have been here for more than a generation. Were they not taking advantage of the lands around them? At least the houses appeared to be sturdy. He watched someone open a window and empty something onto the streets. His lips were pressed into a thin line now. Yes, he had noticed that there was a bit of a smell, and now he figured out why. They didn’t have a proper sewer system either. This he knew he should have expected, as sewers were rare, and a very new invention. Few cities had managed to integrate them, and some simply couldn't because of where they were built, their size, or how they were made. Though sewers weren’t a norm, he knew that, but it was still uncomfortable to enter a place that didn’t have it built into the infrastructure. Another thing he noted was that very few buildings had glass windows, or windows at all. Glass was an art only a few knew how to make, and if you couldn’t make it, then it was incredibly expensive to buy.

They reached the structure where Lio guessed the head Omega lived. It was the only building made out of stone, and though it wasn’t the size of a castle it was significantly larger than the rest of the building in the city. He stopped in front of the door and got off of his horse, and together with the scout he entered the building.

The first room they got into was large and open, meant to welcome whoever was visiting. There wasn’t any decoration here, except some woolen tapestry on the wall ahead of him.

“My Lady will be here soon,” the Scout said.

Lio nodded. For now he detected nothing that told him he was in danger. He turned his head slightly to the right as he detected a new scent. An Omega, and it felt like a clean and calm scent too. A hint of roses. This would be the head Omega then. Just then the person came into view. She was tall and looked to be in her late 20’s, she was also clearly pregnant. Together with her were four Alphas. That would be her mates. With her being pregnant it would only be natural for them to wish to follow her around a lot.

“I’m Laluna, head Omega of the Winds,” she said, her voice soft and gentle.

Winds, so that’s what her people was called. Each city would have a name for their people, something that could identify them… he needed to find a name for his own people.

“I’m Lio, head Omega. My people doesn’t have a name yet, and we are only passing through to find a place to settle.”

Laluna smiled. “If you continue past the city, and across the bridge, then you will find a untouched spot of land. No one owns it, so if you want it, take it.”

“Thank you. I will go and have a look to see if it’s a good place to settle.”

“If you choose to do so, then please, do not hesitate to ask for help. Tools, materials, I will provide it for you.”

“That’s very kind of you,” he said slowly. Was it too kind? Then again, forging a good relationship with a neighbor was always a good idea.

“And if you need a place to stay tonight, then I would be happy to provide that for you too.” Apparently she noticed the confused look in Lio’s eyes as she continued. “We too traveled far once, and had someone been there to give us a helping hand then maybe we would have had a better start than we did.”

“Thank you, but what do you expect in return. You might be kind, but few would do this without thinking they could gain something from lending a hand like this.”

“I was hoping to discuss that a bit later, but exchange of knowledge. You come from a place far away from here, right? Just like we might hold knowledge you don’t, you might hold knowledge we don’t have. That and an alliance. We stand alone here, and having a close ally is always good in case conflict was to come our way.”

Lio nodded along. That last part might be more helpful to Lio’s people than Laluna’s, but he didn’t wish to bring that up just yet. “Trade would be possible too. Even if we are close, there is still the possibility for trade.”

“Of course, and I’m sure those who come to my city to trade would happily drop by your people on the way too.”

This was a very good deal, not too good to be true, but reasonable and would benefit them both. “I will head back to my people and discuss this with them.”

“We will await your answer. Please let my scout go along with you.”

“I’m fine with that.”

He walked out of the building, and got back onto his horse, who had been given a bit of water while he had been inside. For now it looked like their intentions were good. Was he going to choose to fully trust them? He hadn’t noticed anything wrong with any scents inside the building, and for now Laluna had shown nothing but kindness and understanding.

He returned to the rest of his people, who had settled down not too far from the city, and Lio could see just how relieved they were to see him return safely.

“What happened?” Victor asked as Lio dismounted his horse.

“The Head Omega wishes to assist us.”

“What? Why?”

Lio smiled. “Sometimes people are just kind. I couldn’t sense anything wrong while I was there, I think she genuinely wishes to help. There is land further ahead that is free for the taking, and they are offering to help us settle if we choose to stay there.”

“It could be a plot, they could be planning something. You can’t trust them!”

“Victor, I don’t think they wish us harm.”

“They could pretend to be friendly so that you lower your guard.”

“If that’s the plan then they are wasting their time, and what exactly would they want from us? Except for trade and an ally?”

“You’re a young healthy Omega, maybe they want-”

“There is a head Omega, no Alphas in power.”

Victor huffed and walked away. Lio turned to the rest who had been listening.

“What do you think?”

“Well, some help would be nice… few of us knows how to take advantage of an the resources this place might offer,” an omega said.

“What do they want in return?” Hannes suddenly said, he was looking at the scout.

“Possible trade of knowledge, and trade in general. If conflict was to come our way, then an alliance could be to both our benefit,” the scout replied.

There was some talk among the people, then Hannes stepped forth towards Lio. Looks like he was going to speak for the rest.

“We agree that this is a good idea.”

Lio smiled and nodded. “Then we shall settle down for the night, and tomorrow we will arrive at our new home.” He turned towards the scout. “We will settle outside your city, going inside will be a bit of a hassle.” That and he didn’t trust them enough to take all of his people with him there.

The scout nodded and headed back towards the city. In the meantime the group walked closer to the city and settled down for the night. The mood was a lot lighter now, there was even some song happening before they went to sleep. A few curious villagers did drop by, and a few of Laluna’s siblings, all Alphas, also visited for a short time.

“I think they are looking you over,” Victor said as he stood by Lio.

“Let them. I am not going to accept a mate at the moment, I have other priorities.”

“Very wise of you… and for all you know, there might already be an Alpha in this group that will catch your interest.”

“I don’t think so,” Lio shrugged.

“Never say never.”

Lio raised an eyebrow at Victor, then walked away. He was being strange. Then again, he had always been a bit of an odd one, so he didn’t mind it when Victor made comments like that. Lio had known the man for over ten years, and for the past five years Victor had been his personal guard, so it made sense for him to be overprotective, even if it did annoy him a bit at times. Lio knew he was more capable than most, and because of that he was more willing to place himself in danger rather than anyone else.

The night came and went, and they were back on the road again. Moving past the city of the Winds, and after a couple of hours they came to a bridge, and moved across it. Ahead of them was untouched land as far as the eye could see. On one side there was the forest that continued until it reached the mountains, then on the other side there was just green and more green. That was unless he used his spyglass to look in that direction. The ocean was there.

“This place is perfect,” Lio said with a smile and turned towards the rest. “We will make this our home!”


	4. Green Moon - A name

“We need to build this with expansion in mind. Our settlement will grow with time,” Lio said as he looked over the plans they had made for the buildings.

They were all well on their way in making their new home. The sewer system was in place, and the woodcutters’ houses were made in the forest. The Winds had helped teach them how to effectively use the trees in the forest, and reminded them of the importance of planting a tree for each they cut down. They could not afford to run out of resources, and with fewer trees they would also cause the wildlife to flee. They needed it all, so they had to be careful and set boundaries for how much they could take at once. For now they were fine, the forest was dense and had it not been for the river then it would have been difficult to transport wood to the location of the village. 

He looked up as several people walked by carrying some of the wood over to the carriage so that it could be transported to one of the farms that was currently being worked on. Most of Lio’s people were still sleeping in tents, and he knew that the first few months were going to be difficult in terms of housing and many would be homeless. Thankfully, it was summer… but then the upcoming winter would be tough, especially if they didn't use the summer wisely.

“Is it possible to make a castle out of wood?” Victor suddenly asked as he looked at the plans.

“I don’t need a castle.”

Victor sent him a strange look. “If you say so.” There was another moment of silence as Lio made some adjustments to the existing plans. “I hear words that you don’t wish to celebrate turning 17.”

Lio looked up at him. “That’s right. If the others wishes to celebrate then I’m not going to stop it, but I don’t want a big celebration. It would take too many resources.”

“It might help raise the spirit of the group.”

Lio smiled and gestured to the people walking back and forth around them. “Look around, Victor.”

Victor did as he was told. Around them were people running around, smiles on their faces, and even if some were tired they didn’t stop or complain. 

“Look at their spirit, it’s burning bright. I don’t need to do anything to manipulate them into feeling better, and if a celebration is to happen, then I want it to be a celebration about all of us, not just me.”

Victor made a sound, like he wasn’t convinced, then he decided to walk away to help out with the manual labor. Lio would have joined, had it not been for the fact that him staying in place made it a lot easier for people to get hold of him, and people were constantly appearing to ask questions, and visitors and help from their neighbor also came to speak with him whenever they dropped by. That, and Lio knew he wouldn’t be of too much use in building all that needed to be built. He might be strong for his size, but that didn’t say much considering his short stature and lean body.

Day turned to evening, and the whole group settled around a bonfire to eat and relax before it was time to get some rest. The mood was cheerful, optimistic. Jokes and funny stories were passed around, and at one point they decided to cheer for Lio’s birthday, but nothing more was made of it. Instead they went back to discussing today’s progress.

They needed more stone, the ones from the river were not going to last forever, so the woodcutters told them that they were working to cut a path from the village to the mountain to make it possible to start mining. This was cheered.

Lio couldn’t decide what was burning brighter, his people or the fire before him.

“I have a name for us,” he suddenly said, a smile spreading across his lips. Everyone’s attention was on him now. A name for them had been discussed for a while, but it was ultimately up to the head Omega to give them a name. “Burnish.”

Some cheered, others looked a bit puzzled, until they seemed to grasp why this name was chosen. Not only did it speak of their spirit and passion, but it was also a nod to where they came from.

“Let our fire never die,” one villager cheered.

“I will make sure it never does,” Lio promised. He was going to do whatever it took to keep their flames alive.


	5. Green Sun - New resources

“So, we have two farms up and running now,” Lio commented as he watched the cows they had been gifted move around in their large pen.

They now had cows, chicken, and sheep. As well as some fruit trees, and several types of crops. So, what had the other village got in turn for this? They now had apprentices working for the midwife and medicine man of the Burnish. The Winds didn’t have a trained medicine man, nor a trained midwife, so now Lio and his people had agreed to train one of each for them.

The midwife apprentice had been lucky too as the Burnish’s first birth had happened shortly after they became an apprentice. On top of that, both sides had plenty of pregnant Omegas who needed attention and care.

The medicine man was busy teaching his apprentices about various herbs and minerals that could aid in healing and curing. That on top of taking care of any and all injuries that happened while the buildings they needed were being built.

“So, we can start with the city itself now?” One Alpha asked as he leaned over Lio’s plan.

“Yes, but we are going to need more stone to use as foundation. How long until the path to the mountain is cleared?” Lio asked and looked over at one of the woodcutters who was there to give an update.

“Another day or two. We are close to done chopping down trees, but there are several tree stumps and roots that needs to be removed.”

“Do you need more people?”

“No, we’ve got this.”

Lio nodded and took a few steps back. He had been sending scouts out to see what else was in the area surrounding them. Any other things they could use as resources. They needed to be able to produce things that could be sold too. There had already been one tradesman that had moved by, so now the words of a new settlement would be spreading.

He watched as one of his scouts returned and jumped down from his horse. There was a large smile on the Alpha’s lips as he ran over to the others.

“Sand!”

“What?” Lio asked, his eyes wide.

“By the endless ocean, there is sand!”

The scout opened the bag he had with him and showed them the content. It was indeed sand. Lio’s lips stretched into a wide smile.

“Great! Tell the glassmaker!”

“Yes, but first. The water is salt.”

Lio beamed. “Then we shall have glass and salt production.”

These were fantastic news, and it would allow them to create valuable items for trade. Salt was precious, everyone needed it and desire it, and glass even more so. They had just been given the best news they possibly could have.

“Go!” Lio cheered and watched the scout run out to find the glassmaker. Who was going to do the salt production was something they could have to discuss later on.

“Well, shall we prioritize the glassmaker then?” Victor asked.

“Yes, it would be good to get that started as soon as possible,” Lio agreed. “But we are going to need homes too… we need as many homes as possible before the winter.”

“Then I still stand by my suggestion of making your home first,” Victor insisted.

Lio sent him a short look. “I do not wish to be a priority, however… with my home being the largest, that means that several people will be able to sleep in there until they have their own home.”

Victor frowned. It looked like that was not what he had wanted. “Then how will you get any time together with a possible mate? You are going to need a nest, a safe space for that.”

Lio chuckled. “I don’t have time for that yet. My people comes first. I will take care of the courting later, especially since I will not be of much physical help once I’m pregnant.”

“You are the head Omega, you know those instincts of your are going to kick in soon. Your body knows the role you have taken, and being without at least one Alpha is going to be though on you, especially during your heat,” Victor hissed.

“I will manage. My people comes first,” Lio insisted. He couldn’t focus on his own needs, his own wants, not yet. That and there was no Alpha here who caught his attention, and no matter how badly he was going to want an Alpha as time went on, he refused to make a rushed decision. He was strong willed, he had the discipline to wait and take his time, and Victor should understand that. However, Victor’s constant need to bring this topic up was making him very concerned.

“You need to think of yourself too,” Victor insisted.

“I will, later. Don’t worry about me, Victor.”

Victor pressed his lips into a thin line and walked away, leaving Lio alone to get back to work.


	6. Yellow Sun - Newcomers

“Game is good in the forest, the hunters are bringing in quite a bit of food, and only one of the hunting cabins are finished, so I can imagine once the other one is done that we’ll get even more food,” Victor said as he sat down on the pile of logs that was next to Lio.

“We need to be careful, we can’t exhaust the forest’s resources.”

“Of course.”

Straight ahead of them was now the finished building that Lio would call home. It was a large wooden structure. Two stories tall, the foundation made out of rock, and the rest was timber. Lio had wanted to work on housing for the others, but they had insisted that he needed a place first, and Lio had only agreed to it being built as a priority since it meant others would be able to sleep inside until they had a home of their own.

The carpenters and several others were making and building furniture for the house, and like before Lio had protested, but they had insisted. They wanted him to get a nest as soon as possible. Clearly they were more ready than he was for him to find mates and fully take on the role as head Omega. He did have to admit however, that it was uncomfortable to sleep without a nest, without a place of his own, but it was a sacrifice he was willing to make for the others. Even now he wouldn’t have a nest of his own, since he was planning to get as many people as possible to sleep inside that house, so he would be sharing his bed with several other Omegas.

He turned to look towards where the market was slowly forming. It looked slightly out of place right now, but that was just because the buildings that would surround the town square was not built yet. However, the rock road was slowly being placed, allowing for a much cleaner street.

The miners were doing exceptional work gathering stone and transporting it to the forming village. It was a lot of work, and Lio was really looking forward to when it was done. He looked up when one of the miners that had appeared with stone for the workers jogged over to Lio.

“We have found iron.”

“Excellent,” Lio smiled and then stretched. “Time to get back to work then.”

“You shouldn’t be working this much, you’ll exhaust yourself,” Victor commented.

“What sort of head Omega would I be if I let my people do all the work for me?”

He helped out until night fell, then him and 29 others made their way into his house. There were more furniture here now. Chairs and tables in a dining room. The kitchen wasn’t finished yet, and neither was Lio’s private washroom. His bedroom however was close to done. There was a large bed against the wall. Several chests and shelves along the wall. This was his place… it was strange to think about. It got even stranger as he climbed into his bed, fingers running over the furs that covered it. This would be his nest now… and one day he would share it with his Alphas.

He smiled slightly at the thought of himself curled up in this large bed surrounded by whoever he chose as his partners. There was no rush to find them, even if his Omega instincts were feeling some discomfort with the nest being this empty. So for now, he invited several young Omegas to sleep next to him, both because there was space, and because company would be nice.

Victor didn’t appear too happy about this, but Lio didn’t care. He had to think of his people first.

The next day work resumed after. They had so much that needed to be done before winter came. Lio hated the thought of anyone being without a home then.

He had been in the middle of helping lift some rocks off of a wagon when one of the scouts suddenly appeared. Immediately Lio’s attention was on the Alpha.

“Strangers heading our way. Two Alphas.”

“Traders?”

“No.”

Lio jumped down from the wagon and gestured for the scout to give him the horse. He was going to investigate this on his own.

“Which direction?”

The scout pointed. “They have a very strong scent, you should be able to pick up on them rather quickly.”

Lio nodded and pressed his heels into the sides of the horse to get it to move forward. He kept it at a fast trot. A minute later and he did pick up on a scent. It was spicy, and they almost mixed together as one, meaning that the Alphas were close to one another. Nutmeg… Cinnamon. Those were the scents. It was strong, yet pleasant.

Then he could see them, and that was when he slowed his horse down. The two Alphas paused for a moment and looked at each other, then they started moving again. Closer and closer they came. Lio could make out more and more of their features. They were both tall. One had long dark hair, the other messy red hair.

The dark haired Alpha stopped and grabbed the arm of the other Alpha to prevent him from moving further towards Lio. They were going to let the Omega come to them. How kind of them. Two Alphas alone with one unmated Omega, that would put any Omega on edge. Lio could feel his defenses rise slightly, ready for anything as he got off of his horse and walked towards the two of them. He stopped at a safe distance.

“Are we heading into your territory?” The dark haired Alpha asked. His friend shifted a bit. Both of their scents were getting stronger as they were clearly affected by Lio’s presence. “You’re the head Omega, right?”

“Yes, and yes,” Lio answered. He expected his own scent to be a bit overwhelming. His body feeling the need to show them to be careful by making it clear what status he held, that and these two were not used to his scent like his people were. To the people back home it would be soothing, rather than overpowering like it was for these two Alphas. And once again, it did not help that Lio’s scent being so strong and clear showed that he didn’t have a single Alpha yet.

“Ah… sorry, we were just making our way through,” the dark haired Alpha said.

“Can I ask where you’re going? There is little more than empty wasteland in that direction,” Lio said.

The two Alphas looked at each other for a moment.

“I told you we took the wrong path,” the one with red hair said.

The black haired Alpha turned a bit. It looked like he was contemplating if they should be heading back or not. Lio continued to observe them. Two Alphas alone, clearly having no real destination in mind. The amount of supplies they had were very limited. Exiles?

“Have you been walking for long?” Lio asked.

“A month,” the red haired one replied with a sigh.

“Are you from the north then?”

“Yeah. Made sure to get far away from there though,” the black haired Alpha replied.

“Can I ask why you left?”

The red haired Alpha scratched at the back of his head and made a pained expression. So clearly what they had been through hadn’t been pleasant.

“The head Omega decided to that there were too many Alphas in the city, so he chased out several of the ones without a mate. I think he’s scared since he heard that a city was taken over by an Alpha,” the black haired Alpha said.

Lio couldn’t pick up on anything that indicated that this was a lie. Instead he noticed that their scent soured a bit as they thought back to this very unpleasant memory. Understandable. What had happened was unjust, and Lio almost felt a bit responsible since he suspected that the city they mentioned being overrun by an Alpha was the one he had come from.

“Why haven’t you two settled down yet?” he asked as he took a few steps forward, and he noticed how the red haired one changed his stance, trying to make himself appear smaller.

“We just… couldn’t find a place we could call home. Few cities are all that welcoming to new Alphas,” the black haired Alpha said.

“Really?” Lio supposed that was the difference between the north and the south. In the south people had moved between the cities freely, though usually it was only done due to work opportunities or to find a mate.

“Yeah, it’s usually assumed that Alphas without a home are dangerous, or has done something to deserve being thrown out, so not many wants to give lone Alphas a chance,” the black haired one explained.

Lio stopped right in front of them and extended his hand. “I am Lio. Head Omega of the Burnish.”

“Meis,” the black haired Alpha said and took his hand.

“Gueira,” the other said when it was his turn to take Lio’s hand.

“If you want, then you can stay with my people for a while,” Lio said as he pulled his hand back. He had decided that he was going to offer them the hospitality they had been refused. Part of him wanted to offer for them to stay permanently, but that would be too soon, he still needed to make sure that they were actually safe to keep around, even if their scents were clear… and very, very pleasant.

“Are you sure?” Gueira asked, his eyes wide.

Lio nodded and smiled at them. “Follow me. There isn’t much there yet, we only settled down recently, so the village is under construction.”

“We can help,” Gueira quickly added.

Meis quickly nodded, agreeing with his friend.

Lio smiled and walked back to his horse, the Alphas following along, making sure to keep a bit of a distance from the Omega. They were trying to make themselves appear as nonthreatening as possible.

Lio did not get back onto the horse, and instead decided to just have it walk alongside him as he walked. He looked over his shoulder at his two new companions.

“You don’t have to walk behind me like that,” he said.

So they walked up next to him, and appeared to relax a bit more. Their scent sweetened slightly, and Lio could feel his body responding to it, and judging by the look the two of them gave him they noticed the change in Lio’s scent too. However, none of them commented on it, instead they started to talk. Lio asking about them, trying to get to know the two of them a bit better.

He learned that Gueira was 18 and Meis was 19, though they were gaining one more year in a few months. They had grown up together, and pretty much been inseparable from their very early childhood. Both of them had been a part of the protection group of Alphas that large cities often had. Groups of Alphas that would deal with conflicts within the community, or prevent crimes from happening, while also protecting the weaker of the city.

“So, what about you?” Meis asked. “You said the village is under construction, so you’ve just settled then?”

“Yes. We settled down about two moons ago. Getting everything in place is a slow process, but we will get there eventually… I hope to get as much as possible done before winter.”

“Yeah, I can understand that,” Gueira nodded. “But I’m sure things will be a bit easier with two extra Alphas to help out.”

Lio chuckled as Gueira decided to try to display his muscles, even if he didn’t have a lot of that. Both of them were very lean compared to how most Alphas were built. Omegas were small and lithe, Alphas were large and broad, but these two almost reminded him more of very tall Omegas.

“Why did you leave to settle for yourself? Just following your instincts or?” Meis asked.

“I probably would have taken over the role as head Omega at the city I originated from, but…” Lio sighed. “Our Omega’s latest Alpha decided to take over the whole city, so I had to get away. I took with me some of the people, though I wish I could have taken more of them with me, but I will go back and get the rest… one day.”

“So… that was your city then…” Meis commented quietly.

“Most likely.” He didn’t know of any other cities that had been taken over by an Alpha, but then again, it would take time for information to reach him right now.

“I’m sorry that happened,” Gueira said.

“And I’m sorry it resulted in you two losing your home.”

They had reached the first of the two farms Lio’s people currently had. From here he could see the main building, and he could see people moving around as they worked.

“They are all working so hard to make this place into a home,” Lio sighed, a fond smile on his lips. He cared deeply for his people.

They got closer and closer to where the rest were working, and he could smell Victor before he saw him. It was an unpleasant scent, the other trying to appear threatening and domineering, like he wished to scare away the other two Alphas.

“Stay behind me,” Lio said to Meis and Gueira as he handed the horse over to the scout that had jogged over to them.

“I guess someone doesn’t like our presence,” Meis commented while Gueira rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

“It’s my bodyguard,” Lio explained as he watched Victor quickly make his way towards them.

“That explains a few things,” Gueira mumbled.

“Who are they?” Victor demanded to know when he was close enough to talk to Lio.

“Meis and Gueira. They are Alphas without a home, so I offered that they could stay with us for a while,” Lio explained and as Victor tried to step closer to the two newcomers Lio held out a hand to stop him. “They are no danger to us, Victor.”

“They are two more mouths to feed and shelter.”

“And two more bodies to help build your village,” Gueira said with confidence.

“Victor, people from the outside will eventually come to settle in our village,” Lio added. He did not want to turn anyone away, unless he absolutely had to.

Victor scoffed and turned away. “Fine… as long as they are useful… and I will keep an eye on them.”

Lio watched the other walk off, and let out a small sigh. Victor had really changed since they had left their previous city, and he was getting very, very suspicious why. It was not something he wished to confront Victor with right now, but he knew he would have to do so at some point, since this possessive behavior could not continue.

“Sounds like we are under observation then,” Meis said.

“I’m sorry about that,” Lio said and gave the two of them an apologetic smile, which appeared to make Gueira blush a bit.

“Ah, it’s fine. We’ll show him that he had nothing to worry about,” Gueira replied with confidence.

“Let’s get to work then,” Meis added, and Lio watched the two of them walk towards the others to look for work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally got to introduce some well known characters into the story. Now the real fun begins.


End file.
